Game Thread: (7/9) Lady Vols 63 - (3/3) Stanford 74

#930
#930
youcancallmeAl said:
Seems to me a team is always going to have a couple of players - at least - who just sit on the bench in games. If a coach has 13 players, that still gives her at least two options at each position and then that leaves three more on the bench. Rotations have to have some limit. If you replaced these two with two players out of the portal, two other players would likely still be on the bench almost all the time. But those on the bench often contribute in other ways: Practice, team chemistry, eating minutes in blowouts, etc. I'm more concerned with the improvement of the players who do play at this point in the season.
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When I coached I was interested in all my players improving. It isn’t grade school where you can keep players who only contribute as an extra body in practice or to only play in blowout games. There comes a point when you might be down to the point where each player must take the court and play. This is especially true with injuries and Covid which can limit a coaches available players. In D1 ball you recruit players who all have the ability to take the floor and put up production. Some might be scorers whose defense is okay but not the best, others can play defense but have scoring limitations. At the D1 level you do not recruit players to be practice players or to only play in blow out games. You recruit them because they have the potential to contribute at the D1 level. Each of these players are on scholarship to the tune of around $20,000 plus a year and even more at private institutions. That is a lot of money to recruit a player who does not have the ability to contribute at the D1 level if they are called to do so.
 
#931
#931
teacherdean said:
When I coached I was interested in all my players improving. It isn’t grade school where you can keep players who only contribute as an extra body in practice or to only play in blowout games. There comes a point when you might be down to the point where each player must take the court and play. This is especially true with injuries and Covid which can limit a coaches available players. In D1 ball you recruit players who all have the ability to take the floor and put up production. Some might be scorers whose defense is okay but not the best, others can play defense but have scoring limitations. At the D1 level you do not recruit players to be practice players or to only play in blow out games. You recruit them because they have the potential to contribute at the D1 level. Each of these players are on scholarship to the tune of around $20,000 plus a year and even more at private institutions. That is a lot of money to recruit a player who does not have the ability to contribute at the D1 level if they are called to do so.
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I’m surprised a teacher can be so lacking in empathy as to be unaware that typing this opinion onto a public forum might be unnecessarily unkind. I mean do you somehow think that by suggesting scholarships have been wasted on certain players that something positive will happen as a result? Nothing AT ALL can come of it besides hurting some very sweet and kind and hard-working young women. Nothing.

Is that what you intended?
 
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#932
#932
teacherdean said:
When I coached I was interested in all my players improving. It isn’t grade school where you can keep players who only contribute as an extra body in practice or to only play in blowout games. There comes a point when you might be down to the point where each player must take the court and play. This is especially true with injuries and Covid which can limit a coaches available players. In D1 ball you recruit players who all have the ability to take the floor and put up production. Some might be scorers whose defense is okay but not the best, others can play defense but have scoring limitations. At the D1 level you do not recruit players to be practice players or to only play in blow out games. You recruit them because they have the potential to contribute at the D1 level. Each of these players are on scholarship to the tune of around $20,000 plus a year and even more at private institutions. That is a lot of money to recruit a player who does not have the ability to contribute at the D1 level if they are called to do so.
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So you're saying all D-1 schools should play every player on their scholarship roster each game at least a few minutes? Wonder why no team does that?
 
#937
#937
youcancallmeAl said:
So you're saying all D-1 schools should play every player on their scholarship roster each game at least a few minutes? Wonder why no team does that?
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I think it only matters if you want to keep the players. Personally, there's no shame in essentially being a practice player, which is what Jessie and Emily are. It's not like other schools don't have similar players on their rosters as well. The only time it bites you is when injuries leave you shorthanded and you reaaaaallly could have used that player (see UConn and Mir McLean). Otherwise, I don't see any issues with fielding the team that you need to be successful.
 
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#938
#938
Amb3096 said:
I think it only matters if you want to keep the players. Personally, there's no shame in essentially being a practice player, which is what Jessie and Emily are. It's not like other schools don't have similar players on their rosters as well. The only time it bites you is when injuries leave you shorthanded and you reaaaaallly could have used that player (see UConn and Mir McLean). Otherwise, I don't see any issues with fielding the team that you need to be successful.
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Since almost no coach plays 13/14 players each game, you're going to have at least a few or more who hardly ever play, except in blowouts. If those players really are potential contributors, they will seek a team where they can be contributors. Just as water reaches its level, so will players. If UConn can't keep contributors at the end of their bench, then no one can.
 
#939
#939
youcancallmeAl said:
Since almost no coach plays 13/14 players each game, you're going to have at least a few or more who hardly ever play, except in blowouts. If those players really are potential contributors, they will seek a team where they can be contributors. Just as water reaches its level, so will players. If UConn can't keep contributors at the end of their bench, then no one can.
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Tennessee's issue for the longest time has been that it doesn't put cupcake teams away that they should, and hence the end of bench doesn't get much opportunity to play. They took care of business against ETSU last night, which is probably the only reason even Wynn/Striplin made it in.

Not sure what UConn's issue is. They could be up by 25, and still not give McLean/DeBerry a chance to get off the bench. Guess they got what they asked for. SC seems to be doing a better job of getting all of their players in the rotation when they can, even the two that are essentially glorified walk ons.
 
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#940
#940
youcancallmeAl said:
So you're saying all D-1 schools should play every player on their scholarship roster each game at least a few minutes? Wonder why no team does that?
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No that is not what I am saying. D1 teams recruit players because they have the potential to play at that level. That potential does not always come to fruition, or as I said they can be strong on some sides of the game and weaker on others. In many cases some recruits are not a good fit for the program they are in. The decision to play all your players for a few minutes each game is up to each coach, which is highly unlikely, because this is not elementary school ball where everyone gets to play.
 
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#941
#941
teacherdean said:
No that is not what I am saying. D1 teams recruit players because they have the potential to play at that level. That potential does not always come to fruition, or as I said they can be strong on some sides of the game and weaker on others. In many cases some recruits are not a good fit for the program they are in. The decision to play all your players for a few minutes each game is up to each coach, which is highly unlikely, because this is not elementary school ball where everyone gets to play.
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Then why complain about those players who don't play, and call them out by name as non-contributors?
 
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#943
#943
teacherdean said:
Why does it matter, is it hurting your feelings? Not complaining just stating a fact.
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Why does it matter? You're calling out players by name publicly as not good enough to play at this level and publicly wishing they would leave the program. If they read that, it's got to hurt their pride. It doesn't feel right to me to do that to these players. A little empathy and encouragement would be better, IMO. Hopefully they don't read what is posted here.

Secondly, as I've said repeatedly, the natural order of things is that there will always be a pecking order among players on a basketball team. Not everyone can start. And not everyone can make the second team. Who were the last two players to get in games for the Dream Team? Should we have publicly called them out as not being worthy to be on the team? As I said, if we went to the transfer portal and got two really good players and replaced those two, then two of our players who now play would be pushed to the end of the bench. So what would be accomplished? And what are the chances you'll find two in the portal that are better than our rotation players and who also fit in with our culture? And if Kellie did find two to do that, she has a couple of schollys to give, I think, and the last two players on the bench wouldn't leave anyway. So, it's counterproductive to call out players who for no fault of their own aren't playing in the toughest games. We have thirteen or fourteen players. No one plays more than ten in a normal rotation.

And no, it doesn't hurt my feelings, but I can empathize with those whose feelings it probably does hurt. For the above reasons, I think it's uncalled for, and I think we can do better than that.
 
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#944
#944
youcancallmeAl said:
Why does it matter? You're calling out players by name publicly as not good enough to play at this level and publicly wishing they would leave the program. If they read that, it's got to hurt their pride. It doesn't feel right to me to do that to these players. A little empathy and encouragement would be better, IMO. Hopefully they don't read what is posted here.

Secondly, as I've said repeatedly, the natural order of things is that there will always be a pecking order among players on a basketball team. Not everyone can start. And not everyone can make the second team. Who were the last two players to get in games for the Dream Team? Should we have publicly called them out as not being worthy to be on the team? As I said, if we went to the transfer portal and got two really good players and replaced those two, then two of our players who now play would be pushed to the end of the bench. So what would be accomplished? And what are the chances you'll find two in the portal that are better than our rotation players and who also fit in with our culture? And if Kellie did find two to do that, she has a couple of schollys to give, I think, and the last two players on the bench wouldn't leave anyway. So, it's counterproductive to call out players who for no fault of their own aren't playing in the toughest games. We have thirteen or fourteen players. No one plays more than ten in a normal rotation.

And no, it doesn't hurt my feelings, but I can empathize with those whose feelings it probably does hurt. For the above reasons, I think it's uncalled for, and I think we can do better than that.
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Well said!! Every team has role players during practice and games!!!
 
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